Multilingualism as a Global Competency

In a globalized and interconnected world where multilingualism is the norm, the vast majority of Americans do not learn or speak a language other than English, resulting in a US foreign language deficit, exacerbated by the global COVID pandemic, which negatively impacts Americans in terms of global and local citizenship, as well as our national and economic security. Despite the presence of many languages in what is now the US throughout history, foreign language learning has declined both in colleges and universities and in elementary and middle schools, and many US students do not have the opportunity to learn another language. In order to effectively address the US foreign language deficit and to ensure that all our children and learners of all ages have the opportunity to learn another language, foreign language advocacy is needed. Foreign language educators and other language stakeholders in education, business and government, and in our communities need to work together so that the learning and use of other languages is encouraged in our communities, in the workplace, in the media, and throughout our society.